Sundays With Ingrid

“Hi.” Ingrid could hear Joey’s father, Echo Falls police chief Gilbert L. Strade in the background saying, “Speak up. Don’t mumble.” Then came some bumping sounds, a door closing, and Joey again, his voice now clearer, silence in the background. “Hi,” he said.

“Hi.”

“I called before.”

“I was at my grandfather’s.”

“Yeah. Ty said.” Silence. “Now you’re back.”

“Uh-huh.”

“Back home.”

“Right.”

“Guess what.”

“I give up.”

“’member what I got for Christmas?”

“Snowshoes?”

“I tried them out today. In those woods.”

“The town woods?”

“Yeah.” Silence.

“And?”

“And what?”

“You might like it.”

“Like what?”

“Snowshoeing.”

“I don’t have snowshoes, Joey. You do.”

“That’s the thing.” Long pause. “You know Play It Again?”

“The second-hand sports store?”

“I was in there the other day. Not yesterday but the day before.” Long pause. “Anyways,” said Joey.

“Anyways what?” said Ingrid.

“The thing is they were in pretty good shape,” Joey said.

“What were?”

“Pretty good shape for the price,” Joey added. “Which I can’t tell you on account of they’re like sort of a present.”

Ingrid, who’d been lounging on her bed with the portable phone – not a cell phone, since she didn’t have one, thirteen being considered too young for cell phones at 99 Maple Lane – sat up. “You got me a present?”

Ingrid was actually in the mood – and this often seemed to happen after spending time with Grampy – for taking it easy, maybe whipping up a batch of peanut butter squares, her own recipe featuring white chocolate chips, and memorizing some of Gretel’s lines. “Outside?” she said.

“Unless you’ve got snow in your room,” Joey said.

He’d cracked a joke. Did that ever happen? Ingrid couldn’t think of a single example. And this was a funny joke, way funnier than any ever cracked by Brucie Berman, who’d once almost won a bet that he could keep up a rate of three jokes a minute for the entire school bus ride, and had been doing great until Mr. Sidney suddenly slammed on the brakes. Ingrid laughed and laughed.

“What?” said Joey. “What’s so funny?”

From Into the Dark.

Welcome Molly and Tess.

Big excitement happening down below. Do we have a postal address for sending checks?

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Wow! and Yippee! and Hip Hip Hooray!!!
We get to sponsor Whitey-Lance. That is awesome cool. I am so in. I agree with Rio on this one thing: that the Plunderers will come through for Snowhook with flying colors on…or is that booties on?
Chet the Dog Blog Patches. Me too. I want one for my coat.
Oh…and Sundays with Ingrid is wonderful. How about Mondays with Astrid?

Rio: Thanks for the info about the Hitchcock interview. My dad was always a big fan. As I recall there was a tv series with his movies each week and Hitchcock always made a silent appearance in each film.

There is a great picture of Whitey-Lance on Snoowhook’s blog. Riö, if you would ask permission for us to post it, I would be happy to! We could put it up every once and a while. Also maybe on Chet’s Facebook page?

I’d like to put it on my Facebook page too.

I have to wait until April 1, 2011 to start donating. Then I thought I’d put it in my budget each month that I can.

I wonder if Rebecca could put a design or link to the design of the booties up?

I’m over the world. The Newf Pack are beside themselves.
(Which makes for 18 dogs, whew!)

I’ve written a check to Justin and Rebecca with a note that I’m a Plunderer on Chet’s blog and that I want the amount to go toward our sponsorship of Whitey. I’m going to walk to the mailbox later to post it.

Wolfie: No I never thought I’d be sponsoring a dog/sled race. What fun!

Great excitement this Sunday morning! Hurray for our sponsership of Whitey-Lance & Snowhook Kennels! Our intention here is to set up a monthly donatation through PayPal, however may start out with a check. Thanks for post office and email addresses, Wolfie & B.

Melanie. Would love to see that picture of Whitey posted on the blog and facebook.

Good start to the week, my furry-tailed friends! Now we’re off and running!

I had a dream that Whitey_Lance had a Chet the Dog logo painted on his side. It seemed to make him run faster. We were going to use paypal, but we did not know they took a fee, so we will be sending a check as well, just as soon as mom remembers where she put the stamps, ’cause we hardly ever mail anything.

Uh, Bear, not all of use are furry tailed. Mine is sleek and beautiful and works like a metronome.

Stover, Thanks, you answered my question before I even got to ask it here on the blog…who do I make the check out to?
Mom will drive me to the post office sometime today so I can mail it. This is so much fun, and it makes the end of the sled dog season more bearable.

Rio, in case we come up with the money for Whitey’s sponsorship quickly (and we might) maybe you should tell Rebecca to then start putting the money toward the entry fee. Whatever you guys and Snowhook think is best.

If Snowhook can get those t-shirts and sweatshirts going, we will buy some. They are mom’s favorite articles of clothing anyway and maybe I could figure out how to wear a t-shirt to the dog park just to show off.

Siber, we second that idea – let’s get Whitey sponsered first then put money towards the entry fee. Sounds like a good idea. Thanks for posting the mailing address. We will mail a check tomorrow morning, as there is no mail pickup here on Sundays.

Barb just bought a tee shirt that is dedicated to her English Shepherd friend that drowned last fall, trying to save her puppy that had fallen into the old well pit. They had a small # made, so she ordered one. We would order one from Snowhook, too.

Ya know, those Corgis are just wiggling with excitement over this Snowhook thing. They will be living vicariously thru the race next year.
We say Snowhook-Schmohook! You’d never catch a bunch of KATS getting harnessed in together and pulling a human across the snow and ice. Sheesh. Although of course, I, SAGE THE MAGE would be the leader. Can’t imagine day after day being harnessed in behind Basil…who’d want to see that chubby butt for days on end? But then again, if Alice M.Johnson was in the lead, well, maybe I could stand it…

Sorry everybody – we turned the computer on but then had to go bark at a sqirrel and those Wrotten Kats got ahold of the keyboard before we did.
Its ok – we are planning to sell some of their catnip mousies and send the money to Snowhook in their name. tee hee.

Mama wants us to tell everybody that the Dinner Party starts this Wednesday evening. It will be informal at first – everyone is welcome to join us for some appetizers and snacks. We will have Hot Wings, and Crab Cakes and Cheddar Cheese with Chutney. Everything will be low salt and gluten free with no raisins, bananas, lobster or brussel sprouts in sight.
Hope you all can come.

A note on the PayPal payments: According to the website they do not charge a fee to send money from your PalPal account or bank account. There is a 2.9% plus 0.30 fee for using your debit or credit card if you do not have an account. For us it’s an easy secure way to send money.

Sending donation today. 🙂
I won’t be able to do it until summer but maybe I could visit Snowhook Kennels and meet W-L and interview Justin and Rebecca. Just a thought since I do live in the state. I used to live in an area that had a lot of world-class mushers (and recreational mushers) so it would be fun to make the trip. Besides, I think Wasilla has a Target store which I have been hankering to see.

Was in Fairbanks recently. Gas prices were $4.22 for regular unleaded. Alaskans are so mad…we have the oil field and the refineries but no competition so we usually pay the highest in the nation except for Hawaii.

Sorry I’ve been out of touch; second funeral in two weeks. Emotional overload.

CHarris, What a great idea if you can visit Snowhook! I will have plenty of time to think up a few questions that you can ask Whitey-Lance for me.

We mailed our check inside the post office…well, mom did since my kind is not allowed in the post office unless we are a guide dog. One of the outside mail boxes was all beaten up and battered and had been broken into. There was crime scene tape around it. This is why we don’t put mail in the outside boxes.

Good afternoon, y’all! Between grocery shopping and church and then relaxing when she got home, this is the first time Mom has turned the computer on for me. I don’t have long, though, cuz she says she’s getting ready to work on that closet again. ‘Course she’s been saying that for a couple of hours now! The plan was to get the plywood for the new subfloor and get that laid today, but it’s raining, so they won’t be able to bring it home from the not-orange-box store and set the table saw up outside without getting it wet. So now Mom’s going to do yet more painting — the trim is finished, it’s on to the stuff they’re going to put in the closet.

T&G: We love, love, love prime rib, but could you add green beans to the menu? Mom always feels like she needs to eat a vegetable when she goes out for dinner, but green beans are the only vegetables she eats! And she has handbell practice on Wednesday nights, so we might be a little late!

T&G: how about Baked Alaska for a dessert? Very appropriate, I think. Since you are having a dinner party, what are your plans for entertainment? And before they ask, NO, THE KATS CAN’T SING!

Maybe a dog show with awards for most princess-like, best coat, best tail, most obedient, friendliest, grumpiest, biggest attitude, biggest heart, most “muttiest,” most likely to succeed….what else? Let’s start the nominations and T&G can be the judges and announce the results at the party. I am sure every dog on this board could garner at least one award and go home a winner. Maybe the kats could help judge the dogs since they would not be tempted by friendship (but how susceptible would they be to bribes of capnip and salmon balls)?

Re: booties. I don’t think they are hard to make but I would like to compare home-sewn ones to purchased ones. We could ask Snowhook what they prefer. If home-sewn ones are ok, we could ask for patterns/specifications as to type of material, etc. I’m not a sewer but if I can make pillow cases perhaps I could make booties (plus I know a home ec teacher).

After 9/11 when we Alaskans heard of the search dogs having to go through burning rubble, there was a “bootie movement” across the state. People, including school kids, were sewing hundreds of booties. Someone even flew to NYC and delivered a bunch in person. Months later I heard that they were not used as search & rescue dogs weren’t supposed to wear booties. I can’t remember the reason why but it was a legitimate reason.

Wolfie: obviously, you have no competition in the “best blurrer” department.

I nominate Sam for “most princess-like;”
Siber-H for “best eyes” or “best face mask” (but I am biased);
Tyl (?) for “biggest heart” since he visits people in need or Rio since he is the one who changed this blog into a community
Rio for “biggest attitude;” or “grumpiest” (“smartest” would work, too)
Rio for “least active” (I think Rio will sweep a lot of the categories)
any of the newfs for “biggest” period;
….hmm who is an escape artist on the blog–they’d be “the most likely to succeed;” is that Macy-Pin?
Would Siber-H also be the “best runner?”
Wookie for “best attitude” or “most courageous”

I appreciate the nomination for best escape artist. You may remember that when mom and dad were taking us to be “improved”, I rolled the window down and fled. They were 12 blocks from home before they noticed that I was missing. I was waiting at home for someone to let me in the house, but they just stuck me back in the car and put on the safety lock. So now I am improved.

CHarris: The interview is a wonderful idea. And yes, please take a camera.

Melanie: I also meant to say in my comments on Cupid that I prefer Frank Justus Miller’s translation of the intro to Daphne: “Many sought her; but she, averse to all suitors, impatient of control and without thought for man, roamed the pathless woods….” That clearly gives her attitude toward love and marriage and in Augustus’ Rome it was actually illegal. A goddess could get away with it but not a mere nymph or mortal woman.

Boy, you guys sure do know how to put on the pressure! Not only are we hosting a gigantic dinner party, but now you want us to be the judges?? Yikes! We think maybe some of the two leggeds should be the judges. After all, they can’t compete, so we have to include them somehow.
We have B.Stover, Dawson, Staff, Melanie, Barb and C.Harris. (our apologies to anyone we forgot). And maybe we could talk Spence or even Peter into judging. Let’s not ask Admin though – that can be one grumpy two legged on occasion.
There is one category that has an obvious winner – we nominate Natasha for Biggest Ego.
tee hee

So – you won’t let us sing, huh? First Rio is rotten to us – Beavis and Butthead indeed! Then people want a talent contest with no Kat categories. Now C.Harris is implying that our voices are less than soothing and elegant.
Fine – just wait til you all get here for the party…we think the Kats ought to all get together and do a rousing chorus of The Dogcatcher’s Waltz! So there!

C.Harris – thanks for telling the Kats they can’t sing. They are off pouting (or is it plotting) somewhere.
Baked Alaska? Hmmm. Possible, just possible. There will be at the very least some kind of dessert that is white and fluffy. But no one gets dessert til they finish up all their other courses.
Prime rib gets the vote for the main dish, but there will be at least one other choice, just in case someone doesn’t want beef…we’re not sure that anyone exists that doesn’t want beef, but we want to be sure everyone is full and happy.

C-Harris!….That would be so awesome if you could go meet Rebecca and AJ and of course Whitey and all the other guys!…heh!…. We will want to see lots and lots of photos and I’m sure we will have a list of questions ready for you….snort!…How exciting (again!)

Home!…We finally came home and now are watching the Rockies vs the Cubbies in another exhibition game….snort!snort!… A thunder storm is happening right over my house – it’s very loud and scaring my friend so I will go sit beside her and make her feel better….yeep! huffle! yeep!

Prime Rib!….What is that? I don’t believe I have ever had Prime Rib before…sniff!….If it is an expensive cut of meat, I know I have never had any. I only get crappy kibble. The kind that’s on sale…grunt!

Rio, I always do that during thunder storms too. You wouldn’t believe how upset it makes my mom. Sometimes if there is a thunder storm at night I even have to wake her up to make sure she is okay. It’s tough work, but someone has to do it.
Wookie
P.S. — You will love the prime rib!

Barb couldn’t stand it – she had to don her winter gear and go play in the dirt. Carried 4 buckets of composted manure from the barn and mixed it in the first raised bed. Will do a little early stuff next weekend when it’s 50. Yes, Macy, that seems warm to us, as long as the wind is not blowing.

We were excited because someone stopped in front and took pictures of the house today. Hope that means they wanted to show it to a prospecitve buyer, and not just that they liked the color!

We love Prime Rib, but wild caught salmon or a chicken dish might be good for those who don’t eat red meat.

And thank you for the vote as best ratter. I don’t think I have much competition, do I?

Wookie!… Yes, night time storms are hard on her here and sadly I have to do the same thing….sniff!… But it is for her own good and I do it in an unobtrusive way, so as not to scare her even further …..snort!… If I am down at the end of the big bed when the storm starts I crawl back to the pillows and let out a soft yeep!….snuff!…Not the screaming kind that I can do on any given occasion. Just a soft YEEP! in her ear just to check on her you see…heh!

Has been veek of very strange happenings vith Plunderers. Jasper has been off on a secret mission on the side. Have not been able to track his movements as have been observing other Plunderers.
There has been attempt to recruit new members to Plunderers. They seem to be trying to adopt somevon named Vhitey. Vill take many payments, but all are vorking together on this. Vhitey must either have glass eye or be heavy smoker for there is much talk of getting him a “patch”. Ve must be very careful of this new agent – he is very talented at escape and leading vild gooses.
Corgis hosting next big meeting of all agents. Must be planning big mission in Belgium – much talk of sprouting something in Brussels. Supreme Commander Stover has not been there, but is villing to try. Other agents refuse to go on mission, but von is vanting to go instead to Alaska.
Need cyptology to vork on more new vords. From Commander Rio – he keeps saying “yeep”. Please, vhat is a yeep? Also booties. Many Plunderers are planning to make booties. Vhat is this – does Natasha need to vorry?
Ve vill need to infiltrate dinner meeting – please to send Ivan -this vill be two Borzoi operation.
Natasha out.

Nattie!…heh!snort!heh!… As usually you are way off base…..heh!…Which reminds me I need to answer a question posed by Stover earliear…snort!….”Second at Bat” means one is not “First at Bat”… gruff! …Does that help?

When Riö mentioned it, I looked on the news. The tsunami was around 20 inches. Doesn’t sound big, however it was in the same area where the huge one was. They certainly don’t need it. Unfortunately, the warning was still on a few minutes ago because tsunami(s) can come in cycles.

Maggie, I think the first and worst earthquake was a 9. unbelieveably powerful.
We haven’t gotten any news yet about the 6.5, but we have got it on the NatGeo Channel watching Alaska State Troopers.
Japan has been through more than enough…sob

Melanie,
Thanks for the link to Lady and the Tramp. At our concert last night we learned that Peggy Lee wrote the lyrics to LATT. She was an amazing song writer and one of the songs she wrote lyrics for was a Duke Ellington tune about fishing. The melody was the theme music for the movie Anatomy of a Murder.

Time!…. We have opted to watch an older movie called A Time To Kill tonight…snuff!…It has both of our most favorite actors that we adore and one actress we dislike the most of all …gah!… Ole whats her name, I can’t even think of it right now. Not Angelina, we actually think she is a great actress given the right part. She was very good in this one…heh!

Macy.Those photos are great! You might have some competition in the best escape artist catagory though. I have been called the Houdini of the Canine World and also have quite the beautiful fluffy tail!

Mr. Tibbs!…After re-reading your initial nominations, I found that you suggested me as ‘The Smartest’….wuffle!… I cannot and will not accept this nomination, because it belongs to our resident Professor, Bee Stover!…snort!..,..She is my Nominee for “The Smartest” and I also nominate her as “The Best Teacher”… sniff! … She has taught us all a lot that can not be denied….snorkel!

Fun!…It has been fun and it will only get better, I do believe!…heh! … I still think we can get to Betty White somehow…snorkel!…She would Love love love the Chet and Bernie series…sniff!…I’m still pondering this one. She is a big star, but she is also a humanitarian and dog lover at heart….gruffle!

Macy is the best poet I think. And Abbiethekitty wants to be the best at kat yoga. Alice wants to have the best fluffy tail (on a kat) Bluecat can have the prettiest eyes, and the herbs can be the sneakiest. Gus and Boobear are the most loving kats. Ummmm did I get all the kats? If you guys won’t give kat prizes we can give them away. Salmon bon-bons for the winners.

Kat Prizes!… I actually think there should be Kat Prizes…heh!…They do bring something to the table every day…snort!… Some have been here longer than others and should get special consideration and recognition for that….(as in Beavis and Butthead do not win anything this year, as well as Natasha or the Corgis)…heh!…Newbies have to put in the time and show their loyalty…grunt!… Look at Lil Lexi, she went on a couple Missions with us last year and then left us high and dry…grump!…No Loyalty in that pup!…growl!

Poets!….Yes, there is some competition between Poets on this here blog…..grunt!…Kirby vs Min Pin as the best poet…sniff! ….Dawson is by far the “Best Bullshitter” and “Best Squirrel Skinner”….heh!…Much to the chagrin of Rockie the Undercover Squirrel…ahem!

Rio – we would rather be a butthead than a pugbutt!
pppppffffttttbbbbbbbb….that’s KAT respberries!
Just for that, we are going to make sure that you don’t get ANY of Mama’s lip-smackin’ crispy, delicious hot wings, just dripping with buttery, spicey sauce. And no blue cheese sauce either!

Hi, guys! Very busy weekend sprucing up the outside plants (both potted and in ground) for spring.

We were wondering if one of the more creative of the plunderers could come up with and post a really cool, creative form that could be attached to our donations to Snowhook? It would immediately identify our donations as part of the Chet the Dog group and make it easy for Rebecca to add to Whitey’s total.

Mom is going to set up a monthly payment. Someone else mentioned doing that. Adding it to her monthly bills will insure that she doesn’t forget her obligation to Whitey.

G&BB

P.S. Looking forward to the Wednesday buffet. However, Mom isn’t much of a gourmet and eats mostly simple foods. Maybe she will see a recipe that Dad will try. He’s the chef in the family.